This invention relates to a block and brace arrangement having particular application to the formation of concrete panels which are common to the art of tilt-up construction.
2. Prior Art
It is well known to one engaged in the art of tilt-up construction to utilize a conventional wooden block and cleat during the process of forming a precast concrete panel. Typically, concrete is poured over a casting pad and into a mold form having the dimensions of the desired panel. After a suitable hardening period has elapsed, the mold form is removed. Upon the termination of additional curing time (generally about 7 days), a finished concrete panel can be lifted off the casting pad and properly positioned at a construction site by means of a crane or the like.
The aforementioned mold form normally consists of a plurality of interconnected two-by-six, two-by-eight, etc., pieces of lumber. Structural support for the mold form during the pouring and formation of the concrete panel is provided by the conventional wooden block and plywood cleat assembly. As known to those skilled in the art, the block and cleat arrangement is highly inefficient, inasmuch as extensive labor is required to form the assembly. More particularly, wood must be stripped, cleaned and cut to form the block. The block and cleat are interconnected by means of nails, thereby resulting in an undesirable hazard of protruding nails. Moreover, after the formation of only a relatively few assemblies, the conventional block and cleat are usually discarded, because they are ultimately destroyed with continued use. This undesirably increases both waste and the corresponding cost incurred during the tilt-up construction process.
Other examples of the prior art are shown in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 1,690,295, Nov. 6, 1928; U.S. Pat. No. 2,246,960, June 24, 1941; U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,700, Aug. 18, 1964; U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,006, June 18, 1974.